Catfish Id Needed -Is It A Cory?

[fishnovice]

I'm picking up 2 fish tomorrow advertised as "peaceful 4in catfish". Current owner doesn't know much about fish and not sure what species.
Are these corries?

 

[MewMew42]

i dont think any corys get to 4inches!!

 

[mattlee]

not much to go on there mate..... corys are very peacefull fish and wouldnt hurt anything sharing a tank with them.

dont you think its a good idea to find out what they are before saying you will have them.... what if they dont fit in with your set up?

 

[helterskelter]

Not many cory's get 4 inches.

Brochis splendens are related to the Cory's and do get very large so this is what you may find them to be.
However their are many 1000's of other catfish that grow larger than 4" which it could be.

Remember with all catfish, if they have short whiskers they don't eat other fish

 

[Davo86]

Probably 4" common plecos or if your lucky they could be bristlenose

 

[fishnovice]

Probably 4" common plecos or if your lucky they could be bristlenose

No they don't look anything like BN or common plecos.I have those already. More cory in shape with kind of curved body not straight like plecs, pale with spots and short whiskers. Is there a giant form of cory or closely related species?

 

[retro mjm]

wack a pick up then we might be able id it

 

[fishnovice]

Not many cory's get 4 inches.

Brochis splendens are related to the Cory's and do get very large so this is what you may find them to be.
However their are many 1000's of other catfish that grow larger than 4" which it could be.

Remember with all catfish, if they have short whiskers they don't eat other fish

May well be a brochis which grow to 4in and are basically like giant cories. Will definitely have them if they are. Mine are spotted like C aneus not green like the Brochis photos on internet though. Are there spotted versions of Brochis?

 

[Inchworm]

These are Brochis multiradiatus. They are gentle giants.

It could even be a big C. aeneus female if your friend overestimated a bit. I've seen them fatter than this one.

 

[DuMScOuSe]

Scleromystax barbatus can reach almost 4 inchs,picture would be good to tell what you have

 

[fishnovice]

Scleromystax barbatus can reach almost 4 inchs,picture would be good to tell what you have

Got them this morning. Figured as they are a giant relative of cories they would be OK, unlikely to be aggressive or grow into 2 ft monsters. Former owner was heavily overstocked as his assortment of unknown -and mixed- unidentified cichlids keep breeding. Also had a baby bala sharka few barbs and goodness knows what else. He admitted to buying fish on impulse without even finding out what species they were

They really do lokk like giant pepper cories, around 4in including tail. Silver grey with tiny black spots. Fins and tail look like S barbatus but body colour and barbels are different (no visible white tummies). Will try to take a photo but they keeep hiding!Perhaps barbels can assist in ID. They have 3 pairs:
Outside - 2inch long black barbels like Poirot!
Middle - 2cm light barbels, branched like maleBN bristles
Inside -tiny pale 1 cm

 

[Inchworm]

No corys or brochis, that I know of, have 2 inch long barbels.

 

[fishnovice]

No corys or brochis, that I know of, have 2 inch long barbels.

Just made a new post with small photo of these mystery spotted giant corries

 

[helterskelter]

Here it is

Feather fin syno.

Do u have any small fish?

 

[fishnovice]

Thanks Helterskelter. Well done . They are indeed Syno -lace catfish. Was it the Poirot whiskers that helped you ID them? So at 4in they are just babies and will double in size -just as well I have the space!Still not bad, pretty fish not aggressive and undemanding about food and water.
Why do you ask about small fish, are Syno predators? Long whiskers = fish eaters???
They were in a mixed cichlid tank so I put them in with my cons and jewels.... and L001 plec. Should be OK hopefully as internet research suggests they should be kept with (African) cichlids